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International Flavors Gears Up to Report Q3 Earnings: What to Expect?

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International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF - Free Report) is scheduled to report third-quarter 2024 results on Nov. 5, after the closing bell.

Stay up-to-date with all quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IFF’s revenues is pegged at $2.83 billion, indicating 0.5% growth from the year-ago figure.

The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.06 per share. The consensus for IFF’s earnings has moved up 1.9% in the past 60 days. The estimate indicates year-over-year growth of 19.1%.

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IFF’s Earnings Surprise History

International Flavors’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed in one, the average surprise being a positive 15.62%.

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What the Zacks Model Unveils for IFF

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for International Flavors this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that is not the case here.

Earnings ESP: IFF has an Earnings ESP of -2.67%. You can uncover the best stocks before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: The company currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Factors Likely to Have Shaped IFF’s Q3 Performance

The company has been witnessing volume declines in the Functional Ingredients business, which falls under the Nourish segment. Even though there had been a sequential improvement in the second quarter of 2024, sales were impacted by lower pricing. This is expected to have been a drag on the Nourish segment's performance as well.

Our model estimates the Nourish segment’s third-quarter sales to be down 5.8% year over year to $1.37 billion. The segment’s operating EBITDA is projected at $198 million, indicating a rise of 11% from the year-ago quarter’s actual, backed by strategic actions to improve performance and productivity gains.

We expect the Scent segment’s sales to increase 6.7% year over year to $656 million. The ongoing momentum in Consumer Fragrance, as well as improvement in Fragrance Ingredients and Fine Fragrance, is likely to have aided its performance. Our estimate for the segment’s quarterly operating EBITDA is $139 million, indicating year-over-year growth of 6%, driven by volume growth and productivity gains.

The projection for the Health & Biosciences segment’s sales is $555 million, indicating a 7% increase from the year-ago quarter’s  figure due to the ongoing momentum in its businesses. Driven by volume growth and productivity gains, we expect operating EBITDA to increase 3% to $155 million.

The Pharma Solutions segment’s sales are projected to inch up 0.7% year over year to $240 million as volume growth will be somewhat offset by lower pricing. The segment's operating EBITDA is expected to fall 6% from the year-ago figure to $44 million.  Volume growth and productivity gains are likely to have been offset by an unfavorable mix. 

In March 2024, IFF had announced its intention to sell the Pharma Solutions business to Roquette. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2025. This will help International Flavors focus on its core business operations, strengthen its balance sheet and maximize shareholder return.

International Flavors’s results are likely to reflect the overall improvement in sales performances in each of its segments, barring Nourish. Favorable raw material costs, along with IFF’s ongoing efforts to improve productivity and reduce costs, are likely to have benefited its margins.

IFF Stock’s Price Performance

In the past year, IFF’s shares have gained 46.1% against the industry’s 1.2% decline.

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Stocks to Consider

Here are some companies in the basic materials space, which according to our model, have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC - Free Report) , scheduled to release its third-quarter 2024 results on Nov. 5, currently has an Earnings ESP of +8.24% and a Zacks Rank of 1.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KGC’s earnings is pegged at 17 cents per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 41.7%. It has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 29.1%.

Royal Gold, Inc. (RGLD - Free Report) , set to release third-quarter earnings on Nov. 6, has an Earnings ESP of +1.13% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RGLD’s earnings is pegged at $1.33 per share, indicating a 75% year-over-year increase. It has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 6.4%.

Osisko Gold Royalties (OR - Free Report) , which currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2, is expected to report third-quarter  results later this month. OR has an Earnings ESP of +1.59%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for OR’s earnings for the quarter is pegged at 11 cents per share, indicating 22% year-over-year growth. It has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 4.1%.

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